Front suspension of VAZ-2109: repair, features

The front suspension of the VAZ-2109 requires mandatory regular inspection of the safety covers of the hinge assembly. In this case, it is worth paying attention to the absence or presence of mechanical deformations. In addition, it is necessary to find out the presence of cracks or signs of damage due to contact with foreign objects, damage to levers, braces, stabilizing support, struts and the front part of the body, especially in places where components and elements of the suspension mechanism are fixed.

Troubleshooting

Deformation of the suspension elements, especially body braces, disorganizes the wheel angles and makes it impossible to adjust the camber and toe. First of all, you should check the car's silent blocks, rubber cushions, ball joints, and the shrinkage of telescopic struts.

Repairing a VAZ-2109 requires replacing rubber cushions and silent blocks if there is rupture and one-sided swelling, including after trimming the end surfaces of rubber elements.

You can check the condition of the front suspension ball joint on the car after removing the wheel, by measuring the distance between the lower arm and the disc element of the brake system. If, after pumping the unit, the distance increases from 0.8 mm or more, the hinge should be replaced.

Preliminary quick diagnostics of the VAZ 21099 chassis

In order to have an idea of the condition of the chassis, the car must be driven onto a pit/lift in good lighting. If this is not possible, use a jack, remembering to use the handbrake and place a support under the wheels opposite the raised side. The front wheels can be removed for a more detailed inspection. Be sure to have a soft brush and cloth with you.

A quick inspection can be carried out after every 5 thousand kilometers.

Preventive inspection and possible replacement of chassis components should be carried out every 10-30 thousand kilometers, depending on the operating conditions of the vehicle (quality of the road surface).

Unusual sounds when moving

If there are certain malfunctions, the front suspension of the VAZ-2109 may make noise or knock. Below are the main causes of problems and recommendations for resolving them.

If the racks have become unusable, they need to be replaced or repaired.
The fixing bolts of the stabilizer bar are loose. If the tension pads wear out, the bolts should be tightened and the worn pads replaced.
Poor quality fastening of the upper support - the problem can be solved by tightening the fixing nuts.
There is settlement and destruction of the supporting rubber element - it is advisable to replace the problematic part.
If the lever silent blocks, braces or stabilizer rod struts are worn out, new blocks should be installed.
The ball joint will need to be replaced if it becomes excessively worn.
If there is a significant imbalance of the wheels, it is necessary to carry out balancing.
If a spring or compression buffer breaks, it requires immediate replacement.

Replacement of front axle parts

In certain circumstances, a breakdown may occur before you have time to make a diagnosis. If you want to independently repair the chassis of a VAZ 2109, videos, photos and special literature will help you thoroughly understand how and what needs to be done.

Front suspension arm

A hum, vibration or knocking that appears while driving, or a feeling that the car is pulling to the side are signs of a malfunction in the suspension. So:

The first step is to inspect the front suspension arm. To get to it, you need to raise the front of the car by placing it on supports, or use two jacks.

Front suspension arm

After unscrewing the four wheel bolts with a 17mm wheelbrace, remove the wheel. Unscrew the nut that secures the ball joint and use a puller to free the joint pin. Next you need to disconnect the stabilizer link from the lever.

Removing the front suspension arm

To remove the lever itself, you need to unscrew the nut and remove the bolt that connects it to the body bracket.

If you notice that the geometric shape of the lever is broken or the rubber elements of its hinge are worn out, the part will have to be replaced.

Shock absorbers

Often, in a VAZ 2109 car, repairing the front suspension is not complete without replacing the shock absorber. The need for such repairs may be indicated by impacts accompanied by a characteristic sound that occur during movement. Most often, the cause of this problem is a broken shock absorber spring or loss of its elasticity. Replacing springs or shock absorbers assemblies is done in pairs on one axle (front or rear). So:

In order to replace the front shock absorber, you need to remove and then disassemble the front strut. Theoretically, it can be removed together with the brake disc and steering knuckle. But then it will be impossible to adjust the wheel alignment angles.
Therefore, you need to act in a different way. After removing the wheel, turn the steering wheel all the way in the opposite direction. Having removed the cotter pin, use a 19mm spanner and unscrew the nut that secures the steering pin to the strut arm.

By removing the lever pin, remove the brake hose coupling from the strut holder. Then you need to remove the plastic plug of the upper strut support and loosen the shock absorber rod nut.
Before unscrewing the bolt that secures the strut and steering knuckle, you need to paint an installation mark on the bracket and bolt.
During reassembly, aligning the marks allows you to obtain the smallest deviation of the wheel camber angle from the specified value. After all, repairing the front suspension of a VAZ 2109 in a garage should not add new problems to you.
Next, using a 19mm socket, unscrew the upper and lower bolts securing the rack and remove the adjusting washer. We move the steering knuckle away from the rack so that the brake hose is not stretched.
Using a 13mm wrench, unscrew the nuts connecting the strut support to the body. The rack has been removed, now you need to install two ties on the springs so that they capture five turns. The ties must be diametrically opposed to each other.

Shock absorber with ties

When the tie screws are tightened, the spring is compressed. The rod nut can be unscrewed when the pressure of the spring on the support cups is released. Now you can remove the cup, upper support, spring with ties, protective cover and power buffer from the rack.
You can knock off the compression buffer support and the strut housing nut with a chisel. You will no longer need this nut, because it is included with the new shock absorber. Having removed the rod with the working cylinder, drain the liquid from the shock absorber into a container.

Disassembling the spring strut

After washing the strut body with white spirit, install the shock absorber cartridge into it. The strut housing nut must be tightened using a torque wrench. The tightening torque is usually indicated on the part packaging.
Having put the protective cover on the rod, now install the ties on the new spring. When compressed, it is installed on the upper support cup and support. After securing it with nuts, the ties can be removed.

Then the second shock absorber is reassembled and similarly replaced.

Brake pads

Repair of the VAZ 2109 suspension, and specifically, replacement of brake pads, will be needed if the car pulls to the side when braking, or the braking distance has increased . To see the condition of the pad without removing it, there is an inspection window in the brake housing - you just need to remove its plug.

The minimum permissible brake lining thickness is one and a half millimeters. Measure it with a ruler; if the wear exceeds the permissible limit, the linings will have to be replaced. This is done symmetrically on one axis.
After placing the car on a lift, remove the front wheel. Wash the brake mechanism with warm soapy water and let it dry. There is no need to use any solvents or petroleum products.

Removing the brake pad

Disconnect the brake hose from the shock absorber strut bracket and move it away from the brake disc using a screwdriver. Bend the locking plate of the caliper pin and unscrew the bolt, holding the pin. The caliper must be lifted up and left in this position.

Insufficient strut resistance

If the front suspension of the VAZ-2109 has lost the tightness of the return or bypass valve, it is necessary to replace the damaged parts. If there is a small amount or leakage of the working mixture, it is necessary to check, replace worn parts, and add the used composition to the norm.

In addition, in case of wear, settlement, deformation of the guide bushing, rings of the cylinder-piston group, spring mechanism, unusable elements and filters should be replaced and new fluid should be added. It is also necessary to pay attention to the integrity of the additional spring elements, valve discs and hinge block. If necessary, deformed elements must be replaced as quickly as possible, which will facilitate the rapid restoration of the unit in question and prevent further damage.

How to repair the chassis of a VAZ 21099

An article about the repair of the VAZ 21099 chassis: what the chassis is, front and rear suspensions, step-by-step work plan. At the end of the article there is a video about replacing VAZ silent blocks.

All these components are subject to continuous load both during movement and at rest. Because of this, chassis parts wear out faster than others, and they must be replaced much more often. The VAZ 21099 allows the car owner to easily diagnose and repair the chassis on his own.

Other causes of malfunctions and possible repairs

Replacing the front suspension or repairing it may be necessary due to the following conditions:

If there is a large difference in tire pressure, this indicator needs to be adjusted.
Violation of wheel mounting angles - timely adjustment of this unit is required.
Deformation of the rubber element of the support strut - can be solved by replacing the faulty part.
If there is a large difference in the elasticity of tires or spring mechanisms, the defective spare part should be replaced.
In addition, it is necessary to monitor the balancing of the wheels.

To avoid premature repair of the front suspension, it is necessary to follow the recommendations for the maximum load of the vehicle, avoid sudden acceleration and not exceed the maximum permissible values specified in the operating instructions.

Time to change hydraulic vibration dampers

Classic symptoms will indicate that the VAZ 2109 struts are defective and the need to replace them:

damping fluid leaks;
poor directional stability when driving at any speed;
knocks and squeaks, especially when driving off-road.

You can also diagnose the malfunction of the suspension elements in question with the vehicle stationary:

from the front: open the hood and rock each corner one by one (the vibrations die out in no more than 1-2 cycles - the suspension is working);
rear: open the trunk and shake each “side” in turn (the criterion is similar).

Replacing the lever

The front suspension arm of the VAZ-2109 is one of the most important elements of the unit under consideration. Its replacement is usually carried out in case of a violation of the geometry, after falling into a pothole, hole, ditch, hatch, or when it is impossible to remove the rubber-metal hinges. It is best to repair the VAZ-2109 on a lift, but you can get by with a jack.

First, the front wheel is removed, which should first be hung and secured with a backing made of boards or bricks. The ball nut is unscrewed with a spanner and then removed from the lever. At the next stage, the rear nut is loosened, the stub rack mount and the bracket mount are unscrewed. The bolt is removed, the lever can be freely removed.

The removed front suspension of the VAZ-2109 is inspected for integrity and the presence of defects, after which the rubber-metal hinges or the entire lever are replaced. Assembly occurs in reverse order.

Repair of front suspension of VAZ 2109

Section with instructions for self-repair and maintenance of the front suspension of the VAZ 2109. Using this section, you can independently carry out maintenance and repair of your car without going to a service station. Here you can find repair information with step-by-step instructions on how to complete the job. This section will be useful both for motorists who do their own repairs and for auto mechanics.

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Replacing a VAZ 2109 extension

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Self-replacement of a VAZ 2109 ball joint

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Replacing the anti-roll bar for VAZ 2109

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Replacing the front wheel bearing of a VAZ 2109

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How to remove and install the front ones on the “nine”

It is somewhat more difficult to remove the front strut from the car and change it, so when performing work it is important not to deviate from the prescribed instructions. To replace the front shock absorber, you must perform the following steps.

Remove the protective cap of the desired pillar under the hood of the car. The cap, which prevents dirt from penetrating the rack, can be removed without additional tools - just grab it and apply a little force.

Removing the plug
After removing the cap, loosen the nut located inside the shock absorber rod. To do this, put the small part of the removable key on the rod and install the larger part on top.

Loosen the stem nut
Raise the car with a jack and remove the wheel from the side where the faulty shock absorber strut is located. Then use pliers to remove the cotter pin.

We take out the cotter pin
Unscrew the nut that secures the ball joint, and then remove it from the hole.

Removing the ball joint
Move the brake hose away from the bracket to avoid damaging it.

It is better to hide the bracket hose
Remove the front steering knuckle and all the components located on it. Next, unscrew the mounting nut on the top of the shock absorber and remove the strut.

Dismantling the rack
Following the reverse procedure, install the new shock absorber strut in place. Once the process is complete, perform a wheel alignment and camber check.

After replacing shock absorber struts, it is important to check the secure fit of all fasteners. In this case, even if all parts are secured, the check should be repeated after 100 kilometers of the vehicle.